


heart sinking (as i jump up)

by Finnis



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ballet, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Strangers to Lovers, its really not that bad tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 10:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20637314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finnis/pseuds/Finnis
Summary: Leaping into the air after hours upon hours of strenuous pointe work was always a bitch, but the sickening twist of his ankle really took the cake.Semi Eita, member of the Shiratorizawa Academy Ballet Club, hated sitting out. Maybe meeting a new friend will make the time pass faster.





	heart sinking (as i jump up)

**Author's Note:**

> As of right now, I have 18 tabs open on how pointe and ballet in general work. I only ever danced Jazz and Modern, so I have like, no idea about ballet. Sue me :)
> 
> What’s crucial to know before reading this? Shiratorizawa is a school focusing on all kinds of sports, including volleyball, football, basketball, horseback riding, ballet, you name it. Semi’s been in the ballet course since he was like, idk a child ig, but the rest of the vball team is basically the same. Also, I know that male dancers usually don’t do pointe work, but that’s really just stupid imho, so in order for this to be really dramatic, I created a ballet club, consisting of both female and male dancers that do pointe depending on their teacher’s recommendation. I easily could’ve made Semi female, but I don’t really think that’s necessary here 
> 
> Inspiration from ‘Breezeblocks’ by alt-J

**[EXPOSITION]**

Leaping into the air after hours upon hours of strenuous pointe work was always a bitch, but the sickening twist of his ankle really took the cake.

_Great, _Semi thought, as sharp pain seared through his leg, crumbling into himself. _Un-fucking-believable. _

The moment his foot had touched down on the well-polished parquet he knew his jump had turned into something ugly, something out of his control, and he hated that fact. But what he hated even more were the tears that shot into his eyes upon the impact. Showing even an ounce of weakness would be a fatal flaw – it could cost your starting position, your _life, _out here. He stumbled forward, hissing through his teeth as he put his weight onto his obviously injured foot.

_No, no no no, this wasn’t happening, this couldn’t be happening. _Not to him, not right now.

Semi bit on his lip to suppress a pained cry, but the look on his face and the awkward way he held his body were proof enough of what had transpired. Everyone stared at him, some with pity, some with relief that it hadn’t happened to them, some even with something akin to schadenfreude.

He righted himself so he wouldn’t give them any more satisfaction, towering over most of them. The stupidity of his pride-induced action hit him a moment later – as did the pain pulsing through his veins, poisoning his body and mind. Immediately he sank to the ground, clutching his ankle. Tears welled up in his eyes and furiously he wiped at his face. Vision slightly blurred, he noticed a slim figure pushing their way through the classmates that had gathered around him out of the corners of his eyes.

“What’s this commotion about? Did I say that you were allowed to take a break?” A harsh, high-pitched voice cut through the whispers, and the ash-blond was almost glad for it. Everything was better than their hushed sneers.

“Semi-san fell when he tried his jump!” Some goody two-shoes first year answered on his behalf, even though that wasn’t how it had gone _exactly_.

“Is that true?” Their instructor, a petite sharp-faced woman in her late 40s, raised her eyebrows at him.

Ashamed he averted his gaze but nodded nonetheless. There was _no way_ he could conceal his fuck-up this time.

“Can you stand up?” Her voice sounded soft – as exhausting and gruelling as her training was, she wasn’t a bad instructor and she obviously cared for her pupils. She shooed the lingering students away with a wave of her hand and the words of “Get back to training” and focused on Semi again, still expecting an answer.

“I don’t… I don’t know.” Pathetic.

She sighed exasperated. “Alright. It’s probably just a sprained ankle, but you will be seen to a doctor immediately. I don’t want to take any chances. I’ll send someone to fetch the nurse for the time being.”

This was so embarrassing. Semi wanted to do nothing more than run away, but it felt as if breeze blocks had been tied to his ankles, chaining him down.

All he could do was wait.

* * *

“What do you mean, it will take at least four weeks to heal completely?”

Semi stared at the doctor in shock.

The latter sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose, “Just as I said. You will get crutches to move across campus, but you won’t be able to do any sports during this time.”

Semi’s hands fisted in his ashy hair, gripping it tightly until the roots hurt. “I can’t wait that long! The premiere’s in two weeks! I’m one of the lead roles!” With pleading eyes, he looked up at the doctor.

The shake of his head crushed the last of his hopes. “Unless you want the damage to be permanent, there’s nothing you can do but take my advice. I know it must be hard for you, Semi-san, but please. Think about your health.”

He snorted, an annoyed noise, and turned his head away. “Whatever.”

The doctor sighed once again – technically Semi knew that it wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. His pent-up anger, his disappointment and resentment needed an outlet, and the doctor was the only one in his proximity at this moment. He knew it was childish and unfair, but so was his current problem. He’d worked so, _so _hard to earn his place in the ensemble, enduring endless hours of gruesome, exhausting practice, just for his role to be given away to some lucky guy, more fitted for a secondary character. This just-

His thoughts were disturbed by someone bursting into the nurse’s office – yes, he wasn’t even off campus, they’d just brought in a doctor to examine him. Shiratorizawa did its best to take care of its students, even if that meant sparing no expenses to ensure their well-being. The high tuition fees made sense if you thought about it that way. Semi wondered briefly why the school nurse wasn’t enough for this kind of injury, before his attention was drawn to the newcomer once again.

The boy seemed to be around his age, pressing a pale, bandaged hand to his bloody nose – god, had he been in a fight, or what? Scrunching up his nose, Semi regarded him with squinted eyes. They were at a prestigious school, surely there had to be a better explanation for this. After all, you were bound to get expelled as soon as you even raised your hand against another student.

As if on cue the strange guy opened his mouth to talk – drops of blood slipped down his philtrum and painted his teeth red. It was a disgusting sight.

“Yo, doc,” he spoke, although his voice had a nasal lilt to it, “can I get like, an ice pack or something?” He tilted his head slightly, his hair following the motion. It was a deep shade of crimson, as red as the blood coating his face.

Surprised, the older man turned around to stare at the redhead. “Oh dear,” he mumbled and went for the freezer, grabbing the ice pack and a towel. “You should let it run dry first.”

The other hummed in compliance, obviously used to this procedure, and moved towards the sink, letting his head hang over it as his blood splattered on the white porcelain bowl, creating almost disfigured, starlike – or maybe rather floral-looking – ornaments.

Dr. Whatever-his-name-was pushed the ice in the others outstretched hand and turned back to the shelf, rummaging through all sorts of pill bottles and packets of Band-Aids (including the ones with _stars_ on them), obviously looking for something. “Volleyball again?” He asked casually, as if this was an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was.

The redhead nodded, and blood sprayed on the front of his lilac-white shirt. Now that Semi paid attention to it, it really did look like a sports shirt. “Thought I’d be able to catch that ball. Turns out I didn’t,” he answered light-heartedly, “I mean I did catch it. Just not the way I was supposed to.”

The doctor hummed in acknowledgement. “Listen. I don’t have the painkillers I wanted to prescribe you here with me. Will both of you be alright if I leave you here for a few minutes to get them?” He turned towards them, looking almost apologetically.

Semi frowned – of course he’d be fine, he wasn’t a child anymore after all. “Sure, I don’t mind waiting. It’s not like I can go anywhere.” Oops. He didn’t mean to sound so snappy.

The other boy just grinned, giving a thumbs up. “Don’t mind either, doc!”

“Great. I’ll be sure to get you some crutches as well, Semi-san.”

The addressed boy huffed a breath, though his eyes betrayed the gratitude he felt. At least it was _something. _

As soon as the door fell shut, the redhead stood up, pressing the towel to his face. “So, Semi it is,” he added nonchalantly, as if he wasn’t profusely bleeding out of his nose. Semi furrowed his brows.

“Right. And you are?”

“Tendou Satori, at your service!” The other boy – Tendou, he reminded himself – grinned at him, and although it didn’t look menacing, it made him slightly uneasy. Maybe it was the blood. “So, what ya in here for?”

He looked at Tendou as if he were stupid – his swollen up ankle was laying right there, for the whole world to see. But Semi decided to humour him anyway, and besides, there was no actual harm in conversing with a fellow athlete, right? “Sprained ankle. You play volleyball?”

Tendou perked up at that, his half-lidded eyes staring unnervingly right into Semi’s soul. “That’s right! Our team’s great. And although bloody noses, knees and elbows are really our thing,” he carefully eyed Semi’s ankle, taking in the light blue hue and swelling, “sprained ankles are also not uncommon there. What did ya do to get it?”

Semi quietly mumbled something like ‘Flunked a jump’, and clenched his jaw.

“A jump?” Tendou’s curiosity was insatiable, as it seemed. “Are you here on a sports recommendation as well? What club are you in? Actually, wait-“ he made a cutting motion as Semi opened his mouth to speak and scratched his head- “let me guess!”

The ash-blond nodded, not really caring either way.

Tendou took in his form before starting to speak once again. “So… your legs seem quite well-toned, so it must be a sport with a lot of leg work,” he mused. “But your arms aren’t bad either, so it’s a combination of both. Considering the state of your feet – bruised, broken toenails, hardened skin at the sole – and that you mentioned jumping, I’d say you’re a…” He paused dramatically, his eyes widening, “ballet dancer!”

Semi deadpanned. “That’s right.”

“I know! You don’t have to praise me, I also know how great I am. And also I kind of saw you dancing the other day.” He sheepishly rubbed his head. “It looked really good though.”

His skin flushed red and he mentally cursed himself. Why did it affect him this much? “Uh, thanks I guess?” He averted his gaze, opting to stare at the tiled floor instead. “I’m sure… you’re good at volleyball as well…”

Tendou snorted. “You can bet I am! Hey, if you can’t do sports anyway, why don’t you come and watch one of our training matches?”

Semi whipped around to fix his gaze on Tendou, but the other didn’t look malicious or with ill intent at all – he genuinely seemed excited at the prospect of Semi watching one of their games. He sighed inwardly and relented. “Alright, why not. Whatever.”

“Great. Gimme your number, Semisemi, and I’ll text you when we’re having one!” Tendou’s smile and cheer were infectious.

* * *

**[WEEK 4]**

It hurt. It hurt so _goddamn_ much. His only solace were the painkillers and his roommate, who assisted him inside and outside of their dorm room. The guy was a gift from heaven, carrying his books and bringing him things so he wouldn’t have to get up. Semi made sure to buy the guy – a huge movie enthusiast, especially when it came to black-and-white movies – some sort of Hitchcock movie collection for his help.

He still came to practice, even though he was of no use there. It annoyed him how quickly his role had been given away, but then again, no one was irreplaceable on the stage and the quicker he accepted that, the easier it’d become for him. So he had no choice but to grind his teeth and fume silently.

The swelling in his ankle hadn’t gone back yet – it was dark blue, ugly and bloated, but the doc had said it wasn’t anything too serious, nothing that needed surgery or anything like that, which was a huge relief. He honestly didn’t know what he would have done if it was permanent damage, never being able to dance again. Walking on crutches wasn’t fun at all, but at least people cleared the way when he came along nowadays.

And Tendou – oh god… Semi had expected a message once Tendou knew the date of their next game, but _no, _the guy had texted him nonstop. His phone exploded with incoming messages during the day, night and even school hours. Most of it was just stupid banter, really – Semi tried to be annoyed by it, honestly, but as creepy and sardonic the redhead seemed to be, he couldn’t bring himself to hate him. His love for volleyball was catchy, and soon Semi had learned more about volleyball terminology than in his three years of middle school.

Tendou was a middle blocker, as he had learned, and a good one at that. He still couldn’t fathom what the difference between his ‘guess blocks’ and normal ‘read blocks’ were, but it was fun listening to him explain it nonetheless.

So when Tendou finally, _finally_ invited him to one of their matches, he was excited. Of course he’d heard about their ace – there probably wasn’t a single soul at this school that hadn’t heard about miracle boy Ushijima, as he was basically a star amongst the students. Girls flocked to him and guys wanted to be him. It was ridiculous. But according to Tendou, apparently the whole team proved to be interesting. He seriously looked forward to it.

* * *

As he hobbled into the gym on his crutches the squeaking of sneakers against linoleum and the smell of sweat and deodorant hit him full on. He was quite early, the other team, some sort of college team, wasn’t even there, and he tried to make his way towards the tribune. Emphasis on _tried. _Before he could even begin ascending the stairs – honestly, why did there have to be stairs? – somebody threw their arms around his shoulders. He wobbled dangerously, but the other person’s hug enveloped and kept him one his feet at the same time.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favourite prima ballerina!” Someone cheered into his ear and he rolled his eyes at Tendou’s antics.

“Don’t you have to be like, on the court or something?” He asked, hiding his grin as he punched the other lightly.

“Rude, Semisemi! I come to greet you, risking an expulsion and catching hell from old man Washijou himself, and that’s how you act?” Tendou whined, still clinging close to him. “And besides, I wanna introduce you to the team!”

The ash-blond groaned. “Right now? Seriously, you’re preparing for a match.”

Grinning at him, Tendou grabbed Semi’s sleeve, dragging him towards the court. “You probably shouldn’t enter with your street shoes on, but no one really cares. Hayato’s girlfriend comes here all the time when we practice. Maybe she likes ogling me? Oh my god, the first and second years are like, so jealous because he’s the only one with a girlfriend. Anyway, Wakatoshi-kun!”

The last snippet of the sentence hadn’t been directed at him but at the tall boy across the court, who practiced his spikes with such ferocity that it almost seemed dangerous to even come near him.

Ushijima turned around and broke into a light jog to meet them halfway. The guy didn’t even break a sweat. “Hello,” he said calmly, extending his hand which Semi awkwardly took, considering that he was also carrying two crutches along, “I am Ushijima Wakatoshi. Satori has already told us about you, Semi-san. I am very sorry for what happened to you.”

Semi chuckled lightly, masking his confusion. “It’s nice to meet you too, Ushijima-san. I’m looking forward to watching you win.”

For a second he thought he saw something glint in Ushijima’s eyes, but it probably was just his imagination. “We will not disappoint you.” And with that he was gone, calling out for someone named ‘Shirabu’, demanding more tosses to warm himself up properly.

“Alright,” Tendou hummed, dragging the ‘i’ out, “that wasn’t how I wanted it to go, but-“

“Did you expect anything else from that volleyball obsessed dork, Satori?” A shorter guy, with dark brown hair and an undercut chimed in, grinning at Semi. “Don’t let Wakatoshi scare you off or anything, he’s a big softie. Couldn’t hurt a fly. Anyway, I’m Yamagata Hayato, libero. Satori has hopefully told you about me.” He winked at both of them.

“I believe he has. Said you were the ‘saviour of our balls, all of them’ if I remember correctly?” With a question in his eyes he turned toward the redhead.

Tendou slapped his shoulder in retaliation. “That was supposed to stay between us. Our inside joke! I can’t believe you’d betray me like that!” Groaning he snatched one of Semi’s crutches and raised it to his chest. “Goodbye, cruel world, for I have no reason to live on. My pride has been wounded, there is no way out but hara-kiri. Tell my wife I love her…” And with that he mimicked stabbing himself and melodramatically dropped to the floor.

Yamagata laughed loudly, nudging him carefully with his foot. “Get up, Satori. You’re embarrassing all of us. And coach will yell at you if he thinks you’re slacking off.”

Tendou mumbled something under his breath that sounded like ‘meany’ and stayed down, now also sticking his tongue out to emphasise that he was, in fact, a dead man. Yamagata sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head, but he seemed more amused than truly worried.

Suddenly a shadow was cast on his dead form. Semi looked up to see another guy their age approaching them. The libero raised his hand to give him a high five and then jogged back to the court, grateful for a reason to leave Tendou to his antics again.

“You must be Semi then, right?” His voice was gentle, soft, and Semi could feel himself nodding before his words had even registered. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I'm Reon Oohira, by the way.” He smiled and reached down to give Semi his crutch back.

The ash-blond raised his eyebrows. “Finally?” He inquired further, accepting his crutch with a smile.

Oohira smiled at him, unperturbed by Tendou’s shenanigans. “Satori wouldn’t stop talking about ‘Semi, you know, the dancer who goes like _whoosh_ and you’re like _gwah_ when he jumps’, so we were all pretty stoked to meet you.”

Tendou, still laying on the floor, groaned as Semi’s face took the colour of a ripe tomato. “That’s very descriptive,” he muttered as the redhead shouted something like ‘Stop trying to make me look like a creep!’.

The other player – what had Tendou called him, a wing spiker? – laughed softly, the sound warm and melodious. “We should get going though. The other team just arrived and I’m sure they don’t like to be kept waiting.”

Showing unnatural flexibility, Tendou got up, pointing a finger at Oohira while staring him down. “Noooo,” he whined, his face contorted into a pout, “he hasn’t even met our gracious kouhais yet! I’m sure Tsutomu would be delighted to make the acquaintance of Semisemi!”

Oohira snorted and grabbed Tendou’s shoulder, steering him away ever so slightly. “I’m sure we’ll have enough time to do that after the match,” he said, a smile adorning his face.

Whatever Tendou grumbled, it was lost when the cheering of the crowd was triggered by the college team finally entering the court.

Semi shot one last look at Tendou before smiling to himself and starting the long, long journey up the stairs. This was going to be a very interesting match, that was certain.

* * *

**[WEEK 3]**

Excited chatter met his ears while waiting in line and honestly, it annoyed him. He had VIP-tickets, why the hell would he need to wait in line?

Something hot nudged against his hand and he turned towards the intrusion, meeting warm, red eyes that seemed to be glowing with mischief. “Here you go,” Tendou chirped, holding out a cup of coffee that had ‘for Semisemi xoxo’ written on it.

Gratefully he accepted it, balancing on one of his crutches to raise his hand holding the cup to his mouth. The first sip left his lips burning, the tip of his tongue pulsating, but he kept drinking the delicious beverage, his lifeblood anyways. Frowning, he lifted the cup from his face, shooting the other a dark look. “Did you really need to have them write that on my cup? And honestly, how do you know how I like my coffee?”

Tendou just smirked at him, waggling his eyebrows. “Oh, wouldn’t you like to know, Semisemi? They call me ‘Guess Monster’ for a reason,” he snickered, sipping on his slushy.

The ash-blond just grimaced, turning back towards the queue to estimate on how much longer they’d have to wait. “This is ridiculous,” he noted dully. “You’d think I’d have some kind of privilege, considering that I almost had the main role.”

“Emphasis on ‘almost’.” Tendou’s voice might have sounded mocking to anyone else, but Semi knew better than that. The redhead meant no actual harm with his words, that much he’d understood during the two weeks they had spent together.

Semi groaned at that thought – Tendou had shown up day after day at his dorm room, escorted him to all his classes, invited him to sit with them at lunch, spent his free afternoons studying with Semi or watching old volleyball and ballet tapes together – and this was how he repaid him? By dragging Tendou to another boring performance and bitching about everything?

Almost as if he could read his thoughts, Tendou hummed, waving his hands in front of the dancer’s face. “Y’know, I’m really happy you invited me.”

“You honestly should be,” Semi mumbled, thankful for his intervention, “I wanna see the guy they replaced me with fail his Fouettes. He always messes them up after the first few.”

Tendou eyed him, childlike curiosity in his gaze. And maybe that was, what he was – an oversized child. “Was that the jump you flunked?”

Semi spluttered, spitting the sip of coffee he’d just taken on the ground. He’d have to aim better next time. “No!” he retorted, his voice sharp. “That was a Grand Jete! Goddamn, what do you even know about ballet?”

“Eh, y’know, soufflé, pouffiasse, ‘s all just French to me.” Tendou shrugged nonchalantly, sucking on the straw once again.

The other narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the other in front of him before throwing his hands in the air exasperatedly. “That’s because it quite literally is French! And the idiom doesn’t go like that, you idiot.”

Beaming at him, Tendou moved another step closer to the entrance. “You could just, like, teach me French, right? Then I wouldn’t fuck it up so often! It’s a win-win-situation!” Of course he chose to ignore what he didn’t want to hear.

Semi seemed to contemplate this for a minute, before shaking his head. “No thanks, I’d rather not spend my time teaching someone like you French.”

Still smiling, seemingly not offended by his harsh words, Tendou replied, “Well, that’s too bad Semisemi, because we will be spending a lot of time together,” before moving on to the next subject.

* * *

**[WEEK 2]**

“Why didn’t you tell me that it itches?” Semi grumbled, wanting to raise his hands to his scalp and claw at his hair, but suppressed the motion in favour of not destroying Tendou’s hard work. Or whatever it was that he was doing there – not like Semi could see his reflection in the mirror, since Tendou had draped a towel (one spotting Ursa Major, of all things) over it.

“I did, you just didn’t listen to me!” The other screeched indignantly. “And besides, beauty knows no pain! So suck it up!” He couldn’t see the redhead’s expression, but he could basically feel the smirk in Tendou’s voice. 

Semi gasped as the cold, slimy dye met his scalp once again. “We agreed on just the tips! Not my whole fucking head! What if it looks shitty?”

Tendou hummed, his warm hands now massaging the stuff into Semi’s hair, quite gentle at that. “Relax, Semisemi. I got this, nothing I haven’t done before. You just gotta-“ he reached out to squirt some more of that disgusting dye on his head, his fingers brushing against the nape of the ash-blond’s neck- “trust me with this one.” He took a step back to admire his work. “You’re all done!”

The – former? – ash-blond turned slightly around to face his friend, scowl present as was usual. “And now what?” He asked.

“Now we gotta wait!” Tendou exclaimed, eyes wide and excited, bouncing on the back of his heels. “but considering the lightness of your hair, it shouldn’t take long. Really, this was a breeze!” Tendou was probably mentally patting himself on the shoulder.

Semi grumbled something in response but decided not to comment on Tendou’s optimism. God, why had he agreed to this? Would they even let him dance on stage again if he came back looking like some delinquent?

He seemed to have been lost in his thoughts for quite a while, because Tendou had begun rinsing his hair, and both the chemical smell of the dye as well as seeing the dark streaks colour the water did nothing to ease him out of his worries. Almost as if he could feel his nervousness, Tendou started humming something that sounded suspiciously like one of his made-up songs. It didn’t take long for Semi to calm down once again, and in that time Tendou finished washing his hair and had grabbed a hairdryer. Why Tendou had a hairdryer in his dorm was a question in itself to be honest – but he had to style his ridiculous, carmine hair somehow, right?

The warm air hitting his still itching head was a welcome change though, and he leaned back into the other’s touch, sighing in relief. His eyes started to fall shut slightly, getting heavier and heavier by the minute, and the soft, electric hum of the engine didn’t make it any better.

Suddenly he startled when something jostled his arm as Tendou reached above him to drag the towel away from the mirror, seemingly satisfied with Semi’s now dry hair.

The sight in the mirror caught him off-guard and made him speechless. Angling his head to get a good look at the big picture, he didn’t even notice Tendou’s soft smile directed at him. “So, what do you think?” He asked after a few more minutes of Semi gaping at his reflection with his mouth open like a fish.

“I think it’s- It looks amazing.” Words couldn’t even begin to describe his joy. It honestly had just been a rushed decision – one made out of anger and disappointment directed at the other male dancer taking his spot and actually _exceeding _him. The guy had perfected the jumps he struggled with and his whole form seemed to be ethereal, straight out of another world. So when Tendou had offered to make a change, something that would get his mind off of his failure, he’d stupidly agreed to it.

But to be honest, now that he’d seen the outcome he didn’t regret the decision at all. Maybe he’d wanted to dye his hair all along and Tendou was just the the last straw, the push over the edge he’d needed. He decided not to dwell on what his ballet instructor would say. The colour Semi had chosen – a cedar-y, warm brown – would be inconspicuous enough as to not arise too many questions. At least he hadn’t gone with Tendou’s first suggestion of fuchsia and teal.

Tendou. Right.

He fully turned around to the redhead still perched on the edge of the bathtub and watching him with hawk-like eyes. “Thank you so much,” he mumbled, sincerity dripping off of each word. When had he become this sappy? Goddamn, he had a reputation to uphold.

“Ah, no big deal, Semisemi,” Tendou simply grinned at him, reaching out to tangle one of Semi’s unruly locks around his finger and tugging ever so lightly, “I think it suits you perfectly.”

Breath hitching in his throat, he slapped the other’s hand away, embarrassment colouring his cheeks pink. “If I get thrown out of ballet it’s still your fault though,” he added. He wouldn’t get thrown out. They needed him too much for that.

“Mhm,” Tendou seemed to consider his next words carefully, “just means we’d get to spend more time together.” The smile he shot him was warm and crooked, lighting his insides on fire like it was a ray of sunshine. Maybe it was. 

Semi Eita officially had a crush.

* * *

**[WEEK 1]**

„Are you looking forward to being able to go dancing again?“ Tendou’s voice sounded subdued, almost soft in the darkness of the night. Maybe that was just what nighttime did to you.

Semi raised an eyebrow at him, even though Tendou probably wasn’t able to appreciate the gesture. “Of course I am. Why do you ask?”

“Oh you know.“ He could feel Tendou fidget beside him, the soft rustle of the grass and the scrape of fingers against hard ground. “We probably won’t be seeing each other that much then. I’m busy with volleyball and you’re busy with ballet.”

“You’re such an idiot, Tendou. Of course we’ll still be seeing each other.“ Semi frowned, even to his own ears the words sounded unsure, unconvincing, as if he didn’t fully believe them. “We’re attending the same school, after all.”

“Yeah, but that’s about it. We wo-“

Semi interjected before he could finish that sentence, pointedly looking up at the sky. “You know, they always describe the night sky as ‘a sea made out of obsidian with twinkling diamonds sprinkled in between’ in books, but I don’t think that’s right.”

Tendou took the bait, his voice sounding slightly curious now instead of dejected as he asked, “Well, how would you describe it?”

The ash-blond shrugged. „How about ‚slowly dying orbs which are coincidentally engulfed in flames and hovering in a lethal vacuum’?”

“While that certainly is a funny thought-“ Tendou snickered into his hand beside him, the sound muffled- “I don’t think that’s the correct physical description.”

Groaning, he facepalmed. “Whatever. I don’t care about physics.“ Ignoring how Tendou gasped in mock-horror, he continued, “and besides, that’s not what I wanted to talk about when I asked you to join me here.”

“Hm? Then what did you want to talk about?”

That was the moment he was supposed to confess. Catching feelings for the redhead what not what he’d expected when first meeting him, but it was undeniable now. His hands were sweating and subtly he wiped them on the grass, scowling as his hand brushed against some sort of – insect? It was cold and wriggling and – ew! He quickly pulled his hand away, clutching it to his chest and shuddering subconsciously, making small, undignified noises.

Tendou cleared his throat. “That was my hand.”

“Oh.” Semi never felt dumber in his life. “Sorry.”

The other rasped out a husky breath. “No worries.” Tendou shifted once again, the warmth of his body now tangible, so close to him that he felt he’d just need to reach out to grasp one of the sun’s rays – god that was corny, even for him. He shook his head to get rid of the thought, focusing on his surroundings once again.

It wasn’t terrible cold; the rather warm breeze of a perfectly normal night in September picking up the sweet scents of the dying flowers around them and rustling their hair. Semi had never really felt the urge to visit Shiratorizawa’s park during daytime, but the night offered some stunning imagery and he couldn’t resist dragging Tendou along, who’d complied without complaining. Semi had always loved the stars – his father had bought him a telescope when he’d been nine years old and the damned thing had travelled with him all the way to Shiratori. Tendou and him had spent countless hours perched up on Semi’s bed, the former reading his usual manga as the latter skimmed magazines about new dancing techniques and stargazing. He’d shown Tendou all his favourite constellations on the maps taped to the walls of his dorm room, pointing out his favourite stars like _Arcturus_ and _Pollux_ and _Castor_. Tendou had laughed at their names, saying how _Pollux_ and _Castor_ sounded just like that one character from the webcomic he was reading.

When something slightly grazed the hand that was still close to his chest he had to suppress a shriek, remembering quickly that worms normally didn’t crawl up your body.

“Relax, Semisemi,” Tendou whispered, “it’s just me.”

Just him. Easy to say. He mentally prepared himself; he’d just have to rip the metaphorical Band-Aid right off the open wound, no problem.

“Listen,” he started, feeling Tendou’s head turn to his direction. The hand grazing his, Tendou’s hand, clasped his own in a vice-like grip, dropping their joined form to the ground between them. “I think I might- I think I… I like you.”

Tendou made a confused sound at that, cocking his head and his ridiculously tall hair to the side. “But I already knew that.”

Semi reeled back, staring at his obscured form. “Wha-? How did- what do you mean?” He spewed out, feeling self-conscious once again. Had he been that obvious?

The other chuckled. “You said you wanted to watch the stars with me,“ he said, as if that explained anything.

The ash-blond grumbled noncommittedly. “And that’s how you knew I liked you?”

“Of course. And besides,” Semi’s breath came out in short puffs as Tendou gripped his hand a little tighter, “I like you too.”

Semi’s head was swimming at this point. This just wasn’t – couldn’t be real. It was too good to be true. Nothing had prepared him for this. “Well,” he started, but Tendou interrupted him.

“You don’t have to say anything, Se- actually, can I call you Eita now?”

Semi frowned, not daring to look at Tendou. “Don’t you think it’s a little too early for that?” He asked to mask his embarrassment. The tips of his ears burned and he could feel the nervousness churning in his stomach. But it was a good kind of nervousness, the one that maybe felt like he’d accidentally ingested a handful of butterflies.

He sighed, a content sound, and leaned against Tendou’s wiry frame. The other boy draped one of his lanky arms around his shoulders and squeezed slightly. “Alright,” he replied, seemingly not bothered by the fact that Semi didn’t want them to use their first names just yet.

Semi closed his eyes and let the darkness engulf him completely. Maybe he could learn to love Tendou the same way he loved dancing, maybe their budding relationship would bloom into something beautiful. But for now he was happy with what he had and that was enough for him.

“Hey, Tendou?” He broke through the silence.

The other tapped his fingers softly against his arm to let him know he’d heard him, the rhythm soothing.

“Thanks. You know, for everything.” He lifted his head to press his lips in a short kiss to Tendou’s cheek, feeling the corners of the other’s mouth pull into a smile.

And that was all he needed for now. The stars above him, the ground below him and Tendou by his side.

He could learn to live with that.

* * *

**[FINALE]**

Meeting up with Satori’s friends had become a habit he didn’t want to get rid of ever again. The lively cast of first, second and third years made his days better. Sure, Tsutomu would become overzealous now and then, claiming that his form was so much more ‘powerful’ than Eita’s, but that was to be expected.

Getting Wakatoshi to dance wasn’t actually all that difficult once you brought Tsutomu into the equation, since said boy did not only want to best Eita, but Wakatoshi as well. They both looked awkward, but it was the thought that counted, right?

Oohira was – unsurprisingly – the easiest to dance with. His sense of rhythm and the strength in his arms made him the perfect partner, gracefully lifting others (well, maybe not Wakatoshi) in the air and spinning them around as if they weighed nothing. Whenever he dropped by, the girls in Eita’s ballet club swooned and demanded a dance or two, which he’d politely accept, waltzing with them as if he’d always been doing it.

Hayato was… something. He wasn’t bad per se, but his movements were choppy and made everyone – his girlfriend included – laugh. Though one had to admit that his determination was unbreakable, despite how often he was laughed at. The guy truly was admirable.

Kenjiro and Taichi mostly kept to themselves, but bribing them seemed to do the trick. Or well, bribing Taichi with sweets and blackmailing Kenjiro. The scary thing was that neither of them were actually bad dancers – Kenjiro seemed to have a knack for modern dance, accepting no help from Eita, and Taichi beat everyone at breakdancing.

While Taichi’s breakdancing looked charming, Satori’s looked more like someone was having a seizure on the floor. Although he always was the first to tease him, Eita's duty as Satori's boyfriend also included stepping in to defend his skills. Stepping in, as in defending him both verbally as well as on the dancefloor. And to be fair, Eita was the best of them, so he didn’t mind showing off a little bit.

And it all was worth the adoring looks he’d sometimes catch Satori send his way when he thought nobody was looking.

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all, I'm sleep deprived, literally. I wrote this at like 1 am, so yeah, it's probs riddled w/ mistakes.  
Also I'm a hopeless romantic, sue me once again :))
> 
> also ik, 4 weeks are really a short time to fall in love and it seems really rushed but trust me. i have no idea about love


End file.
